Cilician Campaign of Kayqubad the Great (1225), was a campaign of Sultan Kaykubad I of Rûm against the

Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (Middle Armenian: , '), also known as Cilician Armenia ( hy, Կիլիկեան Հայաստան, '), Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia ( hy, ...

. As a result of the campaign, the Armenians came under the

Seljuk Seljuk or Saljuq (سلجوق) may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * Seljuk (warlord) (di ...

rule again.

Background

Rûm Sultan

Kaykaus I Kaykaus I or Izz ad-Din Kaykaus ibn Kayhkusraw ( 1ca, كَیکاوس, fa, عز الدين كيكاوس پور كيخسرو ''ʿIzz ad-Dīn Kaykāwūs pour Kaykhusraw'') was the Sultan of Rum from 1211 until his death in 1220. He was the eldest ...

, had subjugated the

Armenian Kingdom The Kingdom of Armenia, also the Kingdom of Greater Armenia, or simply Greater Armenia ( hy, Մեծ Հայք '; la, Armenia Maior), sometimes referred to as the Armenian Empire, was a monarchy in the Ancient Near East which existed from 331 BC ...

Apart from this, the Armenian Kingdom was in conflict with the

Principality of Antioch The Principality of Antioch was one of the crusader states created during the First Crusade which included parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria. The principality was much smaller than the County of Edessa or the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It extende ...

. After the death of the Armenian king Leo II in 1219, the king's daughter Isabelle married Philippe, the son of Prince Bohemund IV of Antioch. After this event, the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

began to invade the Armenian country and Frankize the Armenians. But the Armenian aristocrats, with national enthusiasm, vehemently opposed this movement and condemned the prince as a hail. Thereupon, Prince of Antioch IV. Bohemund wanted to take action against the Armenians. But since he and his State were Christian, other Crusaders opposed him. In this case, Bohemund agreed with the

Sultan of Rum fa, سلجوقیان روم () , status = , government_type = Hereditary monarchyTriarchy (1249–1254)Diarchy (1257–1262) , year_start = 1077 , year_end = 1308 , p1 = By ...

, Ala-ud-din Kayqubad I, for a campaign against the Armenians. The Armenians also agreed with the ruler of Aleppo, Shihabeddin Tughrul. Thus, alliances were established between states. In addition, Sultan Kayqubad wanted to ensure the security of the

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

n trade route. Because the

Armenians Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...

were attacking the merchants in the

Eastern Mediterranean Eastern Mediterranean is a loose definition of the eastern approximate half, or third, of the Mediterranean Sea, often defined as the countries around the Levantine Sea. It typically embraces all of that sea's coastal zones, referring to communi ...

. According to Ibn Bibî, a merchant came to the presence of the sultan and said: "I set out from Aleppo to come here. When I entered the land of Leo, fearless bandits took everything I had and everything I didn't have by force. My bright day turned into a dark night from the poverty I fell. If Christians are not afraid of this dervish lodge, in which sultan's lodge will I seek healing for the wound inflicted by this persecution." said.

Expedition

Sultan Kayqubad (he himself involved in this campaign) ordered the Governor of Antalya, Mubarizeddin Ertokuş, to advance from the coast and attack the Armenians and not to land the Cypriot Crusaders who were helping the Armenians. He also gave Emir Komnenos and Mubarizeddin Çavlı the task of attacking the Armenians from the ground. Having received the order, Mubarizeddin Ertokus began to advance from the Antalya coast. The Franks, who came against him, could not stand the sword of the Turks, they were evacuating the castles and escaping to Cyprus by ships. Thus, Ertokus conquered about 40 castles such as Manavgat, Aydos, Anamur and Aydusanc. The land attack of the Seljuks was more violent. Sultan Kayqubad and Mubarizeddin Çavlı entered the Armenian lands through the Taurus. Sultan Kayqubad the Great and Çavlı, who defeated the Armenians in the Battle of the Taurus Mountains, followed the Göksu Valley and began to descend towards Silifke. Meanwhile, Baron Constantine, who separated the king's daughter Isabelle from Philippe and married her son Hetum and founded the Hetum (Hayton) Dynasty, sold some castles in the Mediterranean (including Silifke) to the Knights of the Templars and Hospices in order to attract the Crusaders to his side. Constantine's request for a Crusade was rejected, telling the Pope that Christianity was in danger. Sultan Kayqubad and Çavlı occupied the entire Göksu Valley and

Silifke Silifke ( grc-gre, Σελεύκεια, ''Seleukeia'', la, Seleucia ad Calycadnum) is a town and district in south-central Mersin Province, Turkey, west of the city of Mersin, on the west end of Çukurova. Silifke is near the Mediterranean coast ...

. Advancing from the eastern flank, Emir Komnenos recaptured the Çinçin Castle, which Sultan Kaykaus had taken. The Armenian king asked Şihabeddin Tuğrul, Atabegi of Aleppo, for help, arguing that the Antakya Prinkepsi posed a danger to him. Şihabeddin Tuğrul stopped the advance of the Antakya Crusaders with his raids on Antioch. It is rumored that the Seljuks took 30 castles from the Armenians and Crusaders whom they squeezed from the coast in the west and from the land in the east.

Treaty

The Armenians, who saw that the Crusader aids did not help in the face of these great victories and conquests of the

forces, attempted to make a peace in line with the wishes of the Turks. The Sultan accepted the offer because the winter season was coming and it was suitable for his politics. According to the agreement reached: ''1-The Armenian king will hand over many castles and towns to the Seljuks, and the king will recognize the Seljuk sultan more firmly than before. (Thus, the Armenians again bowed to the Seljuks.)'' ''2-The king will send a contingent of 1000 cavalry and 500 mechanics to the Seljuks in case of need and expedition, together with his own weapons and equipment.'' ''3-The tribute paid during the reign of Sultan Izzeddin Kaykaus will be doubled (ie to 40,000 dinar).'' ''4-The coin will be minted in the name of Sultan Alaeddin KayqubadAhmed Tevhid,''Meskûlât-i İslâmiyye'', İstanbul 1321, p. 146-183,''(Some of these coins have survived to the present day.)'' and the sermon will read in his name.''

References

{{Reflist Cilicia (1225) Battles involving the Ayyubids Battles involving Armenia

Background

Expedition

Treaty

See also

References